Hypodermic syringe



J. H. STROOP HYPODERMIC SYR'INGE Filed Feb. 10, 1956 a f 5.1 ,ff/M M 5W54. N4

Nov. 11, 1958 IN V EN TOR 10x1/2 bf Jima), BY

W ATTORNL'X .z/ 4 Zi@ al 7N. :w .zwf dwf F ZZ r f/ W// F United StatesPatent-O f 2,859,751) HYPUDERMC SYRINGE John H. Stroop, New York, N. Y.,assignor to Chas. Pfizer & Co., Inc., Erooltiyn, N. Y., a corporation ofDeiawarey Application February 10, 1956, Seriai No. 564,677 z Claims.(ci. 12s-21s) This invention relates to a side-loading hypodermicsyringe body, and more particularly to a side-loading hypodermic syringebody for operatively receiving disposable medicament-containingcartridge and needle assemblies.

At present, disposable medicament-containing cartridge and needleassemblies have been accepted with enthusiasm by the medical professionbecause of their convenience and assurance of sterility. Because theseassemblies are discarded after administration of the medicament, theirmanufacturing cost should be kept to a minimum. A highly successfuldisposable cartridge and needle assembly is fully described and claimedin commonly assigned copending application for U. S. Letters Patent Sw.N. 264,992, led January 4, 1952, now U. S. Patent No. 2,737,949.

A syringe body used to discharge the contents of one of these assembliesaccordingly should be of simplified construction to minimize the expenseof manufacture. This is necessary to encourage the universal utilizationof totally and partially disposable hypodermic syringes.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel structure for a simpleand inexpensive hypodermic syringe body for use with disposablemedicament-containing cartridge and needle assemblies.

In accordance with this invention, a novel hypodermic syringe body foroperatively receiving a cartridge and needle assembly is fabricated froma trough-shaped receptacle. The wall at one end of the receptacleincludes a passageway for the needle portion of the assembly, and thewall at the other end of the receptacle includes a passageway for theplunger rod. The inside length of the receptacle is sufficiently long toload the cartridge through its open side, while the needle portion isinserted through its passageway. Finger grips are integrally formed withthe receptacle. The passageways for the plunger rod and needle portionsmay be made interchangeable so that the finger grips may be grasped fromeither direction.

Novel features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to one skilled in the art from a reading of the followingdescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a plan view of an embodiment of this invention assembled witha vdisposable cartridge and needle assembly;

Fig. 2 is a plan view in elevation of the embodiment shown in Fig. lwith the same disposable cartridge and needle assembly inserted thereinin a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken through Fig. -lalong the line 3-3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken through Fig. 1 alongthe line 4-4 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken 2,859,750 PatentedNov. 11, s

through Fig. 1 along the line 5-5 and looking in the direction of thearrows.

In Figs. 1 and 2 are shown identical hypodermic syringe bodies 10assembled with identical disposable cartridge and needle assemblies 12facing in opposite directions with respect to these bodies. Figs. l and2 clearly demonstrate that disposable cartridge and needle assembliesmay be inserted in either direction into an embodiment of this inventionso that the finger grips 14 may be grasped from either direction. Thispermits Arapid insertion without the necessity of careful positioning ofthe disposable unit and the body, as well as providing finger gripsoptionally at the forward end or rear end of the syringe, according tothe preference of the user. The disposable cartridge and needle assemblyherein shown and described is fully described and claimed in commonlyassigned copending application for U. S. Letters Patent S. N. 264,992,filed January 4, 1952, now U. S. Patent No. 2,737,949.

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Referring to Figs. l through 5, the structural detailsv of this syringebody are described in the following. The:

body 10 may be generally described as a trough-shaped receptacle withintegral linger grips 14. The open side of this trough-shaped receptaclefacilitates loading of the cartridge and needle assembly as well aspromoting the inexpensive fabrication of the receptacle by massproduction means such as molding or casting. The body 161 herein shownand describedis, for example, molded of plastic. A highly desirableembodiment is advantageously molded of relatively hard transparentplastic material such as polystyrene. Nylon and cellulose acetate andthe like may also be used to provide useful body structures. The moldedportions of the unit are provided with slightly rounded surfaces andedges to maintain the structural strength of the unit and to facilitatemolding. This body unit may also be advantageously manufactured of awhite metal by the die-casting process.

Passageways 16 and 18 for insertion of the needle end of the assembly 12and a shaft 2l) of plunger rod 21 are provided respectively in the walls22 and 24 at both ends of trough-shaped receptacle 10. Passageways 16and 18 and the inside length of the receptacle between walls 22 and 24are cooperatively configured to permit insertion of the needle portionof the assembly and rotation of the cartridge within the receptacle. Thepassageways 16 and l shown in this embodiment of the inventQIJare-formed by holes 16 and 18 passing respectively through walls 22 and24 of the receptacle.

Overlapping portions 26 and 28 of wall 22 in line with hole 16 are cutaway from opposite directions to permit angular insertion of the needleportion of assembly 12 in the direction shown in Fig. l. This angle ofinsertion allows the cartridge portion to clear the opposite wall 24 ofreceptacle 10 as the needle portion of the assembly is inserted and thecartridge portion is rotated into the trough. The recess 28 extends fromthe open side of the receptacle to hole 16, and the recess 26 extendsfrom the closed end of the receptacle to the hole 16. These recesses 26and 28 may be conveniently formed during the molding process or bymilling subsequent to molding. These overlapping recesses provided oneither side of the wall 22 provide a wall of maximum thickness andstrength which allows a maximum angle of insertion for the disposablecartridge and needle assembly.

The opposite wall 24 is formed with similar overlapping recesses 30 and32 to permit angular insertion of the needle portion of the cartridge inthe direction shown in Fig. 2 in a manner similar to that previouslydescribed in conjunction with wall 22.

The plunger rod 21 is optionally inserted either through passageway 16or 18 in accordance with the direction of insertion of the disposablecartridge and needle assembly. This plunger rod 21 is convenientlyfabricated in one piece including a shaft 20 and thumb disc 34 -by aconventional mass production process such as molding or casting; and ismade, for example, of a plastic such as polystyrene. Nylon and celluloseacetate or the like, or a suitable die-casting metal, may be used forconvenient fabrication of the plunger. The shaft 20 includes asinternally threaded hole 36 for engaging the stud 38 of the plunger 40of the disposable cartridge and needle assembly.

The finger grips 14 are simultaneously integrally formed with the body.Theseinger grips 14 may be positioned at any point along the length ofthe body.

, When positioned at one end of the receptacle, as herein shown, theyprovide the option of grasping the syringe at the needle or plunger endwhen administering the contents of the disposable cartridge or needleassembly. These iinger grips may also be placed in the center of thereceptacle for consistent positioning regardless of the direction ofinsertion of the needle and cartridge assembly.

When the disposable cartridge and needle assembly is inserted fromeither direction and the cartridge portion 42 is loaded into thereceptacle, the plunger rod 21is inserted through the hole in the wallof the receptacle opposite to the wall through which the needle portionof the cartridge is inserted. The plunger rod is screwed to stud 38which is attached to plunger 40 within cartridge 42. The finger grips 14are grasped by the iingers of the operator, and the thumb of theoperator is pressed against the disc 34 of the plunger rod to rst piercethe stopper 44 within the reduced neck portion 46 of the disposablecartridge. The stopper 44 is sealed within the neck 46 by a ferrule 48.The stopper 44 includes an axial needle receiving recess 22 terminatingin a thin wall which normally separates the inner end of adouble-pointed needle 50 from the contents of the cartridge 42. Theferrule 48 is also provided with a central opening to permit passage ofthe needle 50 through the stopper 44.

Needle 50 is provided with a cylindrical hub portionV 52 which includesa portion of enlarged diameter 54 encasing the outer periphery offerrule 48. Presence of the shoulder 55 at the front of needle hubportion 54 anchors the hub within the pasageway.

Initial pressure forces ferrule 48 to fully seat within skirt of portion54. This forces the inner point of needle 50 through stopper 44 to placethe needle in communication with the contents of cartridge 42.Subsequent pressure forces plunger 40 forward to discharge the contentsof the cartridge 42 through needle 50.

' The other end 56 of cylindrical portion 52 is reduced in diameter toreceive a needle cover member 58 which hermetically seals the needle.Details of this cartridge and needle assembly are fully described, asaforementioned, in copending application for U. S. Letters Patent S. N.264,992, now U. S. Patent No. 2,737,949.

The specific configuration of the passageways in the walls of thereceptacle may be varied to suit the various configurations of cartridgeand needle assemblies. The bodies may be provided assembled with thedisposable units or may be provided separately. The plunger rods may beoptionally provided by the manufacturer either with the disposablecartridge and needle assemblies, with the bodies alone or with theassembled hypodermic syringe. The plunger rods may have enlarged innerends to maintain them attached to the syringe bodies.

As will be apparent to one skilled in the art, modifications andequivalents of these embodiments may be employed without departing fromthe spirit of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A hypodermic syringe body for operatively receiving a disposablecartridge and needle assembly comprising a trough-shaped receptacle, thewall at one end of said receptacle including a passageway for the needleportion of said assembly, the wall at the other end of vsaid receptacleincluding a passageway for a plunger rod, said receptacle having alength suiiicient to accommodate said cartridge portion of saidassembly, uger grips integrally cast with said trough-shaped receptacle,said passageways being disposed in the walls at both ends of saidtrough-shaped receptacle, said passageways being suiiiciently large tointerchangeably permit passage therethrough of said needle end of saidassembly and said plunger rod, and said passageways being sufficientlylarge and the thickness of said walls being sufliciently small tocooperatively permit rotation of said cartridge into said receptaclewhen said needle portion is inserted through one of said passageways.

2. A side-loading hypodermic syringe body for operatively receiving adisposable cartridge and needle assembly joined by a hub, said bodycomprising a troughshaped receptacle, the walls at both ends of saidreceptacle being cut out to include interchangeable passageways for theneedle portion of said assembly and a plunger rod, said walls providingmeans for anchoring said hub and cartridge within said receptacle, thearea of said passageways being sufliciently large and the thickness ofsaid walls being suiiiciently small to cooperatively permit saidcartridge to be rotated into said receptacle when said hub is insertedat an angle through one of said passageways, said receptacle having alength suflicient to accommodate said hub and cartridge portions of saidassembly within said receptacle, and linger grips integrally cast withsaid trough-shaped receptacle.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS1,012,700 Payne Dec. 26, 1911 2,745,403 Goldberg May 15, 1956

